Digital transformation and competition from fintechs (financial technology) has profoundly changed the financial services sector over the past decade. Today, the AI revolution is unleashing further waves of innovation, allowing banks, insurers and other financial institutions to reinvent how services are designed, built and delivered. But amid this technological revolution a fundamental challenge persists: financial services organisations are still struggling to engage with customers in a timely, relevant and trusted way.

Braze is a leading customer engagement platform that allows marketers to creatively engage with customers in real time, across channels from one platform. Recent research by the company found that 50% of consumers rank trust as their top factor in choosing a financial provider. Yet only 15% of marketing executives prioritise it today.

This ‘trust gap’ could have a major impact on financial institutions’ ability to attract and retain customers – particularly in an era of AI disruption, high-profile data breaches and ongoing competition from fintechs. As financial products become more commoditised, customer experience also becomes even more important for competitive advantage.